Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from all formats of the game on Thursday.
Published: July 31, 2026, 11:23 AM IST
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Kolkata Knight Riders is set to get a new captain with Ajinkya Rahane retiring from all formats of the game. (Photo: IANS)
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders had a forgettable IPL 2026 campaign, finishing in 7th place on the Points Table and failed to qualify for the Playoffs stages. KKR went into the IPL 2026 auction with the biggest purse among the 10 teams but once again failed to contend for the title for the second year in a row.
Now, ahead of the IPL 2027 player auction later this year, skipper Ajinkya Rahane has also announced his retirement from all forms of the game on Thursday. Rahane, who was retained for Rs 1.5 crore ahead of IPL 2026 season, has been KKR’s captain for the last two seasons.
Unless, the three-time IPL champions buy a top cricketer at the IPL 2027 auction or get someone via trade, the next KKR skipper could be their current vice-captain Rinku Singh. The Uttar Pradesh and Team India batter was elevated to KKR vice-captaincy ahead of IPL 2026 – which could indicate the franchise’s plans to develop the southpaw as a future leader.
“Over the years, we’ve seen Rinku Singh evolve not only as a cricketer but also as a leader,” KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar had said ahead of IPL 2026.
“For the past couple of years, while his performances have spoken for themselves, I think off the field, without saying a lot, he is someone that the team looks forward to (hearing). We wanted a little more responsibility for Rinku to shoulder and I feel it’s the perfect time, after being a World Cup champion, to come in, take on that responsibility and help Ajinkya Rahane take the reins over,” he added.
Senior India batter Ajinkya Rahane announces retirement from international cricket.#AjinkyaRahane pic.twitter.com/CVtwVE5n82
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 30, 2026
Rinku Singh, though, had very little captaincy experience apart fm leading Meerut Mavericks franchise to the UPT20 title in 2024 season and then finishing runners-up in 2025. Rinku as captain for the Mavericks had won 13 out of 18 matches in the Uttar Pradesh T20 league.
He also led Uttar Pradesh in List A cricket after replacing Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Sunil Narine can challenge Rinku Singh for KKR captaincy
The other viable option for KKR to pick as Rahane’s replacement as captain could be veteran West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine. The former WI all-rounder was retained for Rs 12 crore by Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR ahead of IPL 2026 season.
Narine has claimed 207 wickets in 202 IPL matches in his career so far – the highest wicket-taker among overseas players in the league. He is also an integral part of the Knight Riders set-up in other leagues, having also represented Trinbago Knight Riders, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Los Angeles Knight Riders.
A third option could be Narine’s West Indies compatriot Rovman Powell, who captained West Indies in 37 times between 2022 and 2024 in T20Is. He played two games for KKR in IPL 2025 and 11 in IPL 2026 season after being retained for Rs 1.5 crore.
The BCCI trade window will remain open till one week before the IPL 2027 and then open again after the auction ends.
